Butt Fly

[Mataura mayfly]

Been done before, by better than I, but here is my version.



Hook: Unknown make #12 2XL
Thread: Grey/Ash Kinkame silk
Rib & Tag: Single strand of yellow embroidery thread
Body dubbing: Stripped inners of a cigarette butt
Hackle: Hungarian Partridge

[William Anderson]

Man, I meant to ask yesterday...what's a butt fly?. I would have never guessed. Does it float? Nice fly and a decent recycling campaign.

[letumgo]

Jeff - Beautiful fly! I tye a pattern very similar to this specifically for sulphur mayflies. I am struck by how similar they look. I am curious to hear more about the qualities of the filter material. Never heard of this being used before. Cool.

[Mataura mayfly]

Thanks fellows.

William, most others are a bit "cleaner" in naming the fly and call it a Filter Fly. Does it float? Hell yes, in natural form..... least for a fair while before becoming waterlogged. Shreeded into dubbing, I think it would sit on water film ok by itself, but tied as it is I would say it would go under pretty quick.
You get better colour from a filter that has been smoked rather than a factory fresh one. Has a creamy/yellow/brown staining to it after use, just doesn't smell that nice if your a non-smoker!
I have no idea what the material is, possibly horribly toxic like most things to do with cigarettes, but it has a neat translucence to it and makes buggy dubbing.

Jack Gartside would be the first I heard of using it Ray, he calls his a filter fly. He uses a sparce grey Partridge or Badger hackle and makes reference to Stonefly nymphs becoming almost albino in intermediate stages of life. Kind of a fat white grub that would stand out like the proverbial dogs jewels in the water and I imagine trout would key on them.
Apparently he learnt of this from an article written by Robert Boyle & Eric Leiser.... so who am I to argue. We don't have a lot of stonefly in the mid Mataura, do in the upper reaches, but I feel it is a pretty good imitation of the local grass grub that can enter the waterway after bank erosion due to flooding. A white grub will be easier to see in murky clearing water as well.

[Kelly L.]

I like it, I bet the fish will too. I love the tapering of the body. Well done.

[Mataura mayfly]

Another with grey Kinkame silk thread/rib and grizzly hen.